Starting Seeds Indoors

Yesterday was finally the day we got all of our indoor seed starts going. Quite a bit late but at least they are done now. In terms of process, we use soil-less potting medium (Miracle Gro brand is the easiest to find). I put it in a big bowl with some water and mix it up until all of the soil is completely moistened.

Then I fill each cell in my plastic cell pack, which I reuse each year.  We tried peat pots one year, and it was disastrous. Aside from being environmentally irresponsible, they kept wicking the water away from the seedlings and then the plants got moldy to boot.  Now I use the Jiffy mini-greenhouse pack they sell at Home Depot. I numbered each slot, and I keep a key so I know which plant is in which cell. It comes with a clear plastic top that I use during the germination phase. I was skeptical of the plastic "greenhouse" cover at first but we got amazing germination rates when we used it last year, much better than with a pack and saran wrap over the top.

Finally when everything is planted I put the pack under our light set up. Hubby is going to make a you tube video about how we built it since it is a vastly cheaper alternative to the commercial ones out there, is collapsible for easy storage and doesn't take up much space when it is put together. See this follow-up post on the benefit of using plant lights in your grow set up.

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